


Lost in Translation

by KageYuuki



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Confessions, First Kiss, Frustrated Ignis, M/M, Mutual Pining, Noct is more observant than he lets on, Oblivious Gladiolus Amicitia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KageYuuki/pseuds/KageYuuki
Summary: Ignis is . . . .a more subtle person. His way of expressing affection is through little things. A little assistance here, a surprise homemade lunch there, things that can easily be mistaken for an extension of his role to Noct. Gladio, being more used to more overt moves, misses the real motivation behind his friend's actions. Maybe Noct put him up to it. Or maybe because he's the Shield, Ignis for some reason considers looking out for him another part of his duties.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41





	Lost in Translation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ulan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulan/gifts).



> My (late) Gladnis Christmas exchange gift for Ulan! This one's full of tropes that I've never tried to write before so it was a fun challenge.

A warm, inviting scent greeted Gladiolus when he stepped inside the house at Cape Caem. The peaceful retreat had become something of a second home for the group following Insomnia’s fall. What had once been the late king’s hideaway during his own adventures across Lucis, now offered shelter for the prince and retinue.

Weathered floorboards creaked beneath his boots as he carried the paper bag to the counter, sparing a glance at its contents. Mostly vegetables for that night’s dinner, many of which were currently growing in the garden outside. Though it’d be some time before they’d be ready to be eaten. He glanced over at what Ignis was working on, “Oatcakes?”

“For the hunt tomorrow,” Ignis pulled the last of the small, dense cakes from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool. “We have a lot of ground to cover and they’re easy to eat on the move.” He glanced over at Gladiolus, a frown tugging at his thin lips as he studied the Shield’s puffy eyes. “Allergies bothering you?”

“That obvious?” Gladiolus sniffed, helping Iris out in the garden had only served to aggravate his allergies further. “Normally not a problem this time of year, but . . . “ He shrugged, letting the words die before they were even spoken. But the bustling city of Insomnia was nothing compared to the wilderness of Lucis they’d been forced to navigate.

Ignis nodded in understanding and turned away to pull a mug from the cupboard. “The last time we were in Lestallum, I stumbled on a fascinating book. It was all on magic from before the wall.” Ignis picked up a teapot off the warmer and filled the mug before offering it to Gladiolus. “This should help.”

“Thanks, Iggy.” He took a small tentative sip, tasting the sweet honey and spicy ginger. There were other mingling flavors the Shield struggled to recognize. While not nearly as sensitive to magic as Noctis or Ignis, even he could feel the subtle power imbued into the drink. It was quick to set to work, lifting the fog from his head. “Where’d you find this?”

“Most of the components were fairly common.” Ignis pulled a pot from the cupboard as he spoke, “The more unusual ingredients happened to be growing near some of our recent hunt locations.” He shrugged, “So I took the liberty of collecting them.”

A fond smile crossed Gladiolus’s lips, “Always looking out for us.”

The advisor’s lip twitched slightly as he turned back to look over his work, “Yes, well, someone has to.” With a small flash of crystalline light, Ignis pulled one of his kitchen knives from the armiger and placed it on the counter. Cuts of Garula meat followed shortly after. 

Gladiolus leaned against the counter, sipping at the tea as he watched him work. The subtle flourishes with the knife, the low melody Ignis hummed as he worked, all of it was mesmerizing. Then again, it was Ignis. It didn’t matter what he was doing, he would always pull in Gladiolus’s attention without fail. 

The Shield knew he’d be a liar if he ever tried to say there weren’t times he’d fantasized about holding Ignis close. Finally coaxing the near-constant tension from his shoulders, maybe even hearing his name whispered in that lilting accent--

“Do you know where Noct’s gone off to?” 

The question snapped Gladiolus back to the present. “He’s off fishing right now.”

“Wonder if he’s had any luck,” Ignis mused. “Perhaps I’ll head down that way after I’m finished here.” 

“I should probably get started on fixing the fence in the garden,” Gladiolus rinsed out his mug before setting it in the sink. “Thanks again for the tea.”

Ignoring the creaking protests of the stairs as he climbed, Gladiolus stepped into the large room the four of them had been using during their stay. Ignis sat reclined in one of the chairs, Noctis’s Crownsguard jacket in his hands as he worked on sewing down a button. Before the Shield had a chance to say anything, Ignis spoke up.

“Noct told me he would take care of it when we were at camp the other night,” He said as he pulled the needle through again. “Needless to say, he did not.”

Gladiolus snorted, “Or princess did such a bad job it’s already come undone.”

Ignis gave a noncommittal hum. Giving the needle one last tug, he tied a knot and trimmed away the excess thread. 

Stepping towards his bed, Gladiolus noticed his Crowsguard fatigues sat neatly folded at the foot of the bed and paused. He picked up his jacket, the leather supple in his hands and smelling of conditioner.

“The leather was starting to look weathered,” Ignis commented as he moved to place Noctis’ repaired jacket with the rest of the prince’s clothes. “I went ahead and conditioned it so it wouldn’t begin to crack.”

Gladiolus blinked, “Oh, uh, thanks.” He folded the jacket back up, setting it aside for the next morning. He picked up the novel he’d been reading over the last few days, pausing as he noticed the way Ignis’s gaze seemed to bore into him.

“You . . . “ Ignis’s features twisted into a snarl, “oblivious . . . idiot!” Spinning on his heel, he strode from the room, letting the door snap shut behind him. 

The Shield stood, dumbfounded at the sudden outburst. “The hell was that about?” For a moment, he debated whether or not he should follow after him. It was rare for Ignis to snap like that - unheard of for it to happen over something so insignificant. _I should probably give him a few minutes to cool off first._

Deciding on his course of action, Gladiolus settled onto the worn couch and opened his book. It was a high fantasy story about a knight in training traveling through time to find his childhood friend and love. So far the hero had only barely missed finding her, his every step hounded by a demon. It was a great story so far, but now Gladiolus found himself unable to focus on it. 

The door to the room creaked open as Noctis stuck his head inside and glanced around. “Specs in here?”

“Just missed him.”

“Good.” Noctis sighed in relief, slipping into the room and plopping down on the couch beside his shield. 

Gladiolus arched an eyebrow, “He acting weird for you too?”

“Swear he’s hovering even more than usual right now.” The prince sank further into the couch, looking over at him. “What do you mean ‘for you too’?”

“Blew up at me after I said thanks for putting some leather conditioner on my jacket. Called me an idiot and stormed out. I mean what the hell?”

Noctis frowned, sitting back up. “He . . . snapped at you for saying thanks?” 

“Yeah,” Gladiolus huffed, “called me oblivious too.”

The prince fell silent for a long moment, brows furrowed as he thought. “He do anything else for you lately? Like this morning?”

“Uh,” he set his book down on the end table. “Made some kind of tea he found, wanted to see if it helped with my allergies. Worked wonders, actually.”

“What’d you say to him?”

Gladiolus frowned, “What’s that matter?”

“Just answer the question.”

“I don’t really remember, something about him always looking out for us?”

Noctis blinked at him before pinching the bridge of his nose, "Sweet Six, Gladio, all those romance novels make you oblivious or something?" When the Shield didn’t respond, he gave an exasperated sigh. “Why do you think he’s doing that kind of stuff?” 

“I,” Gladiolus hesitated. Why _was_ Ignis doing all of this? “I don’t know . . . because it’s Ignis?”

“Wrong. Well, kinda?” He sighed again, shaking his head. “He’s trying to get your attention. It’s what Iggy does when he loves someone.” He gestured towards the basket of clean clothes sitting at the foot of Prompto’s bed instead of neatly folded as it had been for Gladiolus. 

The Shield sat in silence. He blinked once, twice, three times even as he tried to process what Noctis had just told him. “Because he . . . but I thought . . .” Gladiolus buried his face in his hands, “Shiva’s tits, I’m an idiot.”

“Yes, you are.” Noctis huffed, crossing his arms. “And because he’s getting fed up with trying to get the attention of a brick wall, he’s taking it out on me. Cranked Mom Mode up to eleven. So please, go talk to him. Before he smothers me.”

It took Gladiolus another few moments to pull himself from his thoughts. Noctis was right, he needed to find Ignis and fix this. He jumped to his feet and hurried outside.

The night air was pleasantly cool, a gentle breeze blowing in from the sea. Gladiolus rapidly scanned his surroundings, searching for the advisor’s familiar form. Prompto stood off near the cliff, looking through his camera out at the ocean. Gladiolus crossed the yard towards him, “have you seen Ignis lately?”

“Last I saw, he was headed towards the lighthouse.” Prompto pulled his camera off the tripod to check his last few photos. Clear shots of the full moon over the open sea filled the screen. “But you may wanna keep your distance, big guy. He looked kinda miffed.” 

“Thanks,” Gladiolus bit back a cringe at the warning. It was his fault Ignis was mad. The old lift creaked loudly as it slowly descended and then carried him to the top of the lighthouse. The sluggish climb gave him a chance to try and figure out just what he was going to say to Ignis. 

Ignis leaned against the railing, looking out at the water below. Though he turned when he heard Gladiolus approach. “I should apologize, Gladio. It was unbecoming of me to snap at you like that.”

“I deserved it,” Gladiolus ran his fingers through his hair. How was he supposed to say this? “Ignis, I . . . I’m the one that needs to apologize. You were right, I was being oblivious.” He hesitated, trying to gauge Ignis’s reaction. It was hard not to get lost in the gaze of those clear green eyes. Gladiolus let out a defeated chuckle, “You’d think with all the books I read, I’d be able to pick up on a more subtle approach. Guess I actually need beaten over the head with it instead.”

Before Ignis could respond, he continued. “I guess . . . after how spectacularly I screwed up asking you out back home, I . . . kinda figured you just weren’t interested.” Gladiolus rubbed the back of his neck, shifting uneasily. This wasn’t going at all like he had hoped. “Look, Ignis, if you don’t want to deal with this oblivious idiot anymore, I get it. But I just--” 

His rambling was cut short as Ignis stepped forward and pressed his lips against his own. Any semblance of thought running through Gladiolus’s head ground to a halt. It was like a dream come true. How long had he wanted to be this close to Ignis? To actually _kiss_ him? Now that it was actually happening, he found himself completely frozen in place by Ignis’s touch.

Ignis pulled away, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Was that an overt enough answer for you?”

The words barely registered to Gladiolus. Snapping himself out of his daze, he said the first thing that came to mind. “I don’t know, could you repeat that?” _Really brain?_ He scolded himself, _that’s the best you could come up with?_

“That so?” The advisor chuckled, leaning close once again. “It seems I really do need to take my time . . . “


End file.
